Whose Rules?

If you follow me on Twitter, you know this already. I tweet a lot, to a lot of people about a variety of topics. I support and communicate with the people and communities I care about, express my opinions, and analyze the products and companies that interest me. Does my volume mean that I don’t listen? NO. I listen a lot. I observe others’ thoughts, wishes, wants, reactions, statements and behavior in this uncharted territory we call social media. I love to respond and join the conversations.

Please do not assume that because someone talks a lot that that they do not listen. I accept your decision to unfollow me, but don’t tell me that I must follow certain “widely accepted rules” about online communication. I’d be lying if I said I don’t care what others think, it’s just that I don’t know how to predict what others think, so my only alternative is to be me.

Many of us are trying to figure out how our online and offline personal and professional lives can coexist, but no one has the magic bullet. Don’t let someone else’s rules become your rules. It’s a time of trial and error and constant change for everyone in this space. Go with what feels right to you. Create your own rules and don’t forget to remind yourself that the only thing we know for sure is that everything is subject to change at anytime.